Zeppelin
by Summersetlights
Summary: "Assignment: Write an essay on someone/something who changed your life! Be specific and honest!" When Ms. Dawes gives them this assignment, what will Eli and Clare write about?


**_Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi!_**

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><p><strong><em>Assignment: Write an essay on someonesomething who changed your life! Be specific and honest! Due at the end of this period! (Oh, and Adam, don't write about comics again.)_**

Eli tore a piece of lined paper out of his notebook, taking his time. It's not that he didn't know what to write, because in fact, he did, but it was because the topic that he was choosing to write about was emotionally draining.

Mrs. Dawes glanced at him, her expression full of worry.

He looked over at Adam and noticed that he was writing like a wildman. Adam's hand flew across the desk and he chewed on his tongue in deep concentration. Eli smirked at his best friend and was mildly curious as to what he was writing about. He glanced away from Adam and heard and low sigh coming from the girl behind him. Eli wanted to turn around and see if she was writing anything. But looking at her would bring back memories and bring back certain things that Eli wanted to keep inside. And just the thought of the beautiful girl behind him made him pick of his pen and write...

**_She's Winter, but Summer_**

_If I'm being honest, I'd tell you that I'm a screw up._

_If I'm being honest, I'd tell you that I fell in love with a girl with rosy cheeks and the voice of a goddamn angel._

_And, if I'm still being honest, I'd tell you that she broke me._

_It's a good thing that I'm not usually honest._

_Her name is Clare Edwards. Though, you of course know that, because she's sitting behind me. But you don't know the Clare that I know. There's nothing else like her. And I don't mean that in a corny way, I mean that in the honest way. She's like those winter days when you were little. When you'd sit by the window, all geared up to go outside and face the bitter cold. But for that one moment, you just look outside and you look at the falling snow, and for some reason, you feel warm. Even though you're pressed against the window and the cold and frigid air is starting to cover your skin. You feel warm, and it's not because your house is heated, it's something else. Something bigger._

_And that's Clare Edwards. She's that bigger part of me. A part that I didn't think existed. _

_Well, that's the only way to describe her. _

_In case you didn't know, which I'm pretty sure you know considering that it's my first sentence, I'm a screw up. And I'm not saying this to get attention, trust me, I'm not. I'm just saying the truth. Which, once again, is something that I don't do often. But, and I'm going to continue being honest, I wasn't a screw up with Clare around. In fact, I was someone that I liked, maybe even loved. But then, she broke me._

_But I broke her first. _

_And that's why I'm a screw up. I broke someone who changed and altered me right down to my genetic makeup. I broke someone who had stolen my smirk and arrogance and had flushed in down the toilet. I broke someone who loved me for every scar on my goddamn body. The thing that I didn't understand, still don't understand, was why she let me take her under my wing, promising to protect her, but letting her crash several times._

_Clare Edwards changed my life. _

_No, scratch that. Clare Edwards changed me._

_And I wouldn't change a thing._

_._

_._

_._

The next day, as the class settled into classroom, she read one paper for the third time. The one paper that was titled, She's Winter, but Summer. And she felt her heart melt, once again.

(Even though the boy was still very wordy.)

And then she glanced at the other one, labeled He's Like Autumn, but Spring.

It was funny and very ironic how how similar the two papers were.

Once the final bell rang, she looked up to her class, with them looking at her curiously.

"I read all of your assignments yesterday," Ms. Dawes said quietly and thoughtfully, "They were very original and well written. Even the essay about comics was excellent." She glared at Adam, who turned red, playfully.

"Are we going to get them back?" Clare Edwards piped up, and Ms. Dawes saw the raven-haired boy perk up at the sound of her voice. Ms. Dawes held back a smile and stood up.

"Yes, but I want you to work with partners to fix your paper," Staring directly at Eli, she said, "And I want you and Eli to work together. You two always worked so well together." She handed back Clare's paper, who looked like a ghost.

"Have fun."

.

.

.

_**He's like Autumn, but Spring**_

_He's oboxious. He always has that smirk on. He's mysterious. _

_And I'd be lying if I said that all of that didn't intrigue me._

_If you don't know who I'm talking about yet, look at the boy sitting in front of me. The one who's drawing on his nails with the sharpie. The one who has the green eyes and the wonderful mind._

__Elijah Goldsworthy?__

_Yeah. That's him._

_ If you want me to define him, I'd have to lie. He doesn't have a definition. He's like a made up word that kids use. The words are words, but they just don't have a definition. _

_How did he change my life, though? Well, it was in the small things. I now smirk. (Which, I must say, annoys my parents. So I should thank him for that...) And he changed me in the way I think. Despite what people think, Eli is rather optimistic. He believes that the glass is half-full. While I, Clare, used to believe that the glass was half-empty._

_And those are just changes that everyone can see. He's like that Autumn day where the leaves are falling and you can't help but think about how beautiful it is. You're in the moment. You're just looking at the swirling colors of every color imaginable. But then again, he's Spring. He's warm. And he's a break from the Winter that people dread._

_And I love him._

_I love him in the way that scares the crap out of me._

_But all that is now gone. I made a promise to him. A big promise. And then I broke it._

_I broke him._

_Elijah Goldsworthy changed me._

_And I hope that possibly, maybe, I changed him._

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><p><strong><em>:) Review? <em>**


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